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A scarecrow adventure

'Scarecrows Secret' by Heather Amery and Stephen Cartwright is one of twenty titles in the Usborne Farmyard Tales mini edition series. All of the stories revolve around Apple Tree Farm and the family that live there; Mr and Mrs Boot, Poppy and Sam and their dog Rusty. In each book the children have an adventure joined by the rest of the family or some of the other characters who live in the village.

In this story Mr Boot is making something out of poles and straw in teh barn when Poppy and Sam appear asking what it is. He tells them that they will know soon enough and send sthem on their way to collect a coat and hat for him. When they return they realise that Dad is making a scarecrow and help to dress him in the old coat and hat. They place Mr Straw the Scarecrows in the field and each day return to see what a good job he is doing of scaring away the birds from the field. In the neighbouring field, Farmer Dray's scarecrow is not doing such a good job. The birds are eating all of teh corn and standing on teh scarecrow without a care. So why is Mr Straw so good at scaring the birds away? Poppy and Sam creep over to take a look. What is Mr Straws secret? Read teh books and find out!

Each of the Farmyard Tales books has a little yellow duck to find on each page. This is an added bonus and fun, interactive task for children to do. My son loves to find the duck and can often find him before I do! It encourages the children to look at the picture and scan the pages looking for the detail.

Each of the Farmyard tales stories have a unique writing style. On each page there are two sections to the text. A shorter, more simple sentence at the top of the page followed by a longer and more detailed sentence at the bottom. These stories are suitable for beginner readers (5years plus) and so when reading together with your child, first talk about the pictures and then encourage your child to read the first sentence, followed by you reading the more detailed sentence.

For younger children you can read in different ways as well. If you want a very short story just read either the sentence at the top or at teh bottom of the page. For a longer story read both. Always remember to talk about the story with your child, looking at the picture as these are very well illustrated stories that will tell the story alone.

These books are great for reading at bedtime and also for taking away or out with you. They are nice and small so fit into a handbag easily. The book isn't just to read as there is the find the duck option too. It will keep your child entertained for a long time. I always take some of these books when we go away for the weekend or travel for longer in the car, they don't take up much room so you can easily take a variety.

I would recommend these books for both boys and girls. Their educational value changes as a child gets older. My son is 20 months and so I read the stories to him but for older children they can begin to read the story themselves using the pictures (making up a story) or starting to read the text.

These books are published by Usborne books. They are only £1.50 so not only lots of fun and a great story to read but also a bargain!